The McFaddin-Ward House
Historic House Museum in Beaumont, Texas
Now on display in the Visitor Center is the exhibit “Shining Examples: Silver from the McFaddin-Ward House Collection.” In the tall case are featured coffee pots, pitchers, and tumblers. Specialized pieces for gracefully serving fish, toast, cheese, bone marrow and even the South American drink, yerba mate. Silver is both beautiful and practical once combined with just enough of another metal alloy to increase its durability. It made possible the creation of items like: a table crumber of intricate design, a ruler bedecked with flowers, and even a frame with Art Nouveau styled poppies. Also included, is a well-worn silver-plated spoon that is no longer symmetrical. We can only wonder if it was used by a cook to scrape the bottom of a cooking pan, or was used as everyday favorite, sparing the sterling pieces from ware. Also on display are two examples of 20th century place settings. Viewers can appreciate the ornate style of the repoussé “Baltimore Rose” pattern by the Heer-Schofield Co. and contrast it against the elegant colonial-revival simplicity of the “Mary Chilton” pattern by Towle Manufacturing Co.
Now on display at our Visitor Center is a selection of brilliant glass pieces from the McFaddin-Ward House collection. The collection contains hundreds of glass objects that belonged to Ida Caldwell McFaddin and Mamie McFaddin Ward. Over 200 of these pieces hail from the Blenko Glass Company in West Virginia and Steuben Glass Works in …
Now on display in the Visitor Center is the exhibit “Shining Examples: Silver from the McFaddin-Ward House Collection.” In the tall case are featured coffee pots, pitchers, and tumblers. Specialized pieces for gracefully serving fish, toast, cheese, bone marrow and even the South American drink, yerba mate. Silver is both beautiful and practical once combined …
Did you know society has not always associated the color pink with femininity? In 1918, the clothing company Earnshaw’s Infants’ Department rules that pink favors boys, because it descends from the strong and aggressive symbolism of red. As time progresses, however, color assignment lacks unanimity, with different regions advertising pink for both girls and boys. …
The McFaddin-Ward China Collection The McFaddin women adored china. Mamie McFaddin Ward and her mother Ida owned some thirty-six sets! Not all were dinnerware, however. They included breakfast, tea, and dessert sets too, and they happily used them all. New exhibits featuring ceramics from the McFaddin-Ward House Collection are now on display at the Visitor …
Current Visitor Center Exhibit Ida Caldwell McFaddin and her daughter Mamie McFaddin-Ward inherited certain fashion accessories, but they also followed the trends of their respective times. Clothing and accessories from 1880 to 1919 are shown in the exhibit as well as those from 1920 to 1959. Though made of various precious materials, all are shining examples …
The McFaddin-Ward House has recently installed two new display cases that will allow visitors to get closer to objects than they’ve ever been before. Brilliant, cool lighting in the cases highlight details of beads, gemstones, and craftsmanship. They sit below large portraits of Ida Caldwell McFaddin, the first lady of the house, and her sister, Ouida …
The McFaddin-Ward House was built in 1905-1906 in a Beaux-Arts Colonial style. Its furnishings and décor reflected the lifestyle of the family that lived there for seventy-five years. The family collected objects and chose to live with things they liked. This reflected their tastes and the changing trends of the times. Some objects they chose …
Since ancient times, coffee was said to have healing properties. After-dinner coffee was thought to assist digestion, enhance endurance, and act as an antidote for inebriation. The Middle Eastern custom of drinking very hot, black coffee in small cups traveled to Europe along with the beverage, in the 17th century. It was the French, in …
The McFaddins collected a lot over their years spent in the house, including many pieces destined for the two dining areas of the home.If you’ve visited the museum, you’ve seen examples of these lavish tablescapes, often set with exquisite pieces of china, silver, cut glass, and others. A new exhibit at the McFaddin-Ward House Museum’s …
